1. Technical Field
The invention pertains to a solid oxide fuel cell, and more particularly to a solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for same.
2. Background Art
Solid oxide fuel cells (“SOFCs” below) are fuel cells which operate at a relatively high temperature in which, using an oxide ion-conducting solid electrolyte as electrolyte, with electrodes attached to both sides thereof, fuel gas is supplied to one side thereof and oxidant gas (air, oxygen, or the like) is supplied to the other side thereof.
A fuel flow path for supplying fuel to fuel cells, and an oxidant gas flow path or the like for supplying oxidant gas such as air, are built into a solid oxide fuel cell, and more particularly into a fuel cell module housing containing fuel cells. Normally these flow paths would be constituted of multiple constituent members, and flow paths are formed by the jointing of each of the constituent products. Since solid oxide fuel cells generally operate at high temperatures of 600 to 1000° C., each of the constituent members must be joined so as to withstand such high temperatures. In addition, airtightness must be secured in the joint portions of each constituent part forming the fuel flow path, the fuel gas flow path, and the like.
Therefore inside the fuel cell module, on joint portions for which airtightness is required between constituent members, methods have been used such as mechanically affixing the constituent members with bolts or the like, then injecting glass in paste form into the joint portion to secure airtightness.
In the fuel cells set forth in Japanese Patent 3894860 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application H6-215782 (Patent Document 2), adhesion of the constituent members in a fuel cell module using ceramic adhesive is described.